ENERGY TRANSITION SIMULATOR
Gain the insight to make better decisions in an evolving energy system
Energy systems around the world are undergoing enormous change. Wind and solar power,
hydrogen plus new usage patterns and market mechanisms are potential game changers.
But their benefits and impacts are hugely interlinked, making it hard to plot the right investment
path. DNV GLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Energy Transition Simulator lets you develop in-depth understanding of how the
choices you and other stakeholders make affect your business. So you can make better strategic
decisions in an evolving energy landscape.
The pressing need to reduce emissions while continuing to
meet ever-increasing demand for energy is driving huge growth
in variable renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
Their different generation patterns combined with new usage
patterns, for example due to the growth of electric vehicles,
are in turn driving the deployment of new technologies such
as smart grids and energy storage plus market mechanisms
including energy trading and demand response. The impact
of each of these developments is intricately interwoven,
making defining an investment strategy extremely complex.
Take the right investment decision
Is hydrogen better than electricity for heating in your industry?
Should you invest massively in offshore wind now, or would a
progressive approach reap bigger rewards? Will rapid
divestment of fossil-fuelled power plants really help achieve
emission reduction targets? And what would this imply for
security of supply of energy?

Our Energy Transition Simulator lets you explore questions such
as these and try out strategies in a realistic and interactive yet
risk-free environment. Based on DNV GLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Energy Transition
Outlook, this digital role-playing simulation lets you see the
complications and motivations of each stakeholder in the
energy system and helps you test your own strategy in an
interactive way.
The Energy Transition Simulator is a state-of-the-art digital
simulator that lets you experience and explore the complex
dynamics of an evolving energy system. It presents an energy
system in a country called Enerland. With the support of a
DNV GL game master and expert facilitator, you play as one
of five stakeholders in Enerland, a fictitious energy system.
You can play in either interactive group mode where different
players or teams of players manage the different stakeholders,
or in single-player mode where the other four roles are
computer controlled.

The simulation
Working as part of the region’s energy system, your goal is to
increase your bank balance while helping Enerland reduce its
carbon dioxide emissions by 80% over the period 2020 – 2050.
Enerland is a country where all the energy demand
(electricity and heat) is met with local generation units. At the
start of the simulation, electricity is mainly supplied by coal-fired
and gas-fired power plants, plus a few wind farms. The country
has a gas infrastructure, including natural gas resources and
some hydrogen assets like small power-to-hydrogen as well as
blue hydrogen through steam methane reforming plants (SMR).

In addition, there are two non-playable roles which are
managed by the simulator master: the government who
regulates the energy market and household consumers
who can shape demand for heat and electricity.

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How to play
The simulation is run in sessions led by a DNV GL energy
transition expert and a simulation master. At the beginning of
a session an introduction in the roles and the assets (and their
characteristics) is provided. Each role begins the simulation with
an initial bank balance and portfolio of assets. Play is split into
6 rounds, each representing five years. In each round, players
must decide how much of their existing bank balance to invest
and which new assets to invest in. Mimicking the real world,
decisions can be made after negotiation with the other roles
in the scenario (whether managed by other players or the
simulation master). The decisions are then entered into the
system via a digital interface on a laptop or tablet.
Once all decisions for that round are entered, the simulator
calculates the impact over that five-year period based on
realistic techno/economic assumptions and market trends
based on DNV GL’s Energy Transition Outlook. The results are
shown on the players’ interfaces, and our energy transition
expert then leads a group discussion to help players reflect on
the choices they have made and take corrective actions where
necessary.
Benefits
At the end of the simulation, an automated report is generated
showing each player’s investments and carbon dioxide
emissions in each round. This can act as the basis for further
facilitated discussions to help players:
 Gain insight into the complexity and interactions in the
energy system
 Better understand the impact of their decisions
 Develop a vision for the future of the energy transition
 Explore ways to apply that vision to your own

MORE INFORMATION?
To find out more about the Energy Transition Simulator or to see
a demo, please contact us today at contact.energy@dnvgl.com
or +31 26 356 9111.